


A Helping Hand

by CloakedSparrow



Series: Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Awesome Pepper Potts, Blood and Injury, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Bucky Barnes & Tony Stark Friendship, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Friendship, Gen, Guns, Human Experimentation, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, PTSD, Past Abuse, Past Brainwashing, Past Torture, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-Iron Man 3, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark Friendship, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony-centric, the bionic arm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-10-31 22:30:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10908753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloakedSparrow/pseuds/CloakedSparrow
Summary: Tony was working in his lab when Jarvis informed him that Bucky Barnes had just broken into the Tower.He didn't have a plan when he confronted the POW. He didn't believe he would be the perfect person to help Bucky recover himself. He didn't think he would be the one to offer the kid a place in the world. He wasn't trying to make a new friend. He didn't expect to care so damn much.Fortunately, Tony is good with figuring things out as they come.





	A Helping Hand

Tony frowned at the data flowing across the monitor in front of him. “Okay, the nanoparticle suit _will_ work but I can't fit it all into the watch if I want a decent suit up time. I could do something with shoes…? Maybe a belt buckle… Or some kind of implant? I did live with shrapnel in my chest for years, my body could easily-”

 _'Sorry to interrupt, Sir.’_ Jarvis cut in. _’But we have an intruder in the gym.'_

Tony's head snapped up from his work. His mind switched from high-tech tinkerer to security CEO immediately. “How did they get in the Tower?! Are any of our guys in the gym?”

He was about to call his suit when he noticed something. The room was silent aside from his machinery. There was no movement outside his workshop. No one was calling out orders or moving with a purpose. No alarm had been triggered or sounded by Jarvis.

He turned toward the nearest monitor. Clearly, there was something significant about this intruder for Jarvis to ignore protocol. “Do we know the intruder? Where exactly are they? Did you get ‘em on camera?”

_'The intruder is currently in the maintenance catwalk above the boxing area. He does not appear to be a threat. I did not sound an alarm because my facial recognition program indicates a 97.9% match with an MIA US Army Sergeant and former SSR Agent, who was recently redeclared a POW. Sir, it’s James Buchanan Barnes.'_

“It’s _Bucky_?” Tony looked at the live security footage Jarvis had transferred onto the nearest monitor. He actually couldn't see enough of the man on the catwalk to make a useful comparison, but he trusted Jarvis.

Bucky was doing a good job of hiding himself in the shadows. He wore several layers of clothing including a hood he'd pulled up. Jarvis had put up a photo of Bucky Barnes taken during World War II to compare to an image he'd caught when the man entered through a window after _disabling its Stark engineered sensors_. Tony had no idea how the guy could do that and he really hoped he’d have the opportunity to find out. 

“Any idea what he’s doing here, J?” 

It wasn’t that the young man (Tony didn’t think it was fair to count the decades he’d spent in Cryo) was unwelcome, just unexpected. No one knew what state of mind to expect Bucky to be in whenever he turned up. Steve was adamant that he wasn’t under Hydra control anymore, and he clearly hadn’t been when he’d saved Steve’s life, but that was assuming he hadn’t been caught again since he left his friend at the Potomac. Before Tony decided how to react to the man’s presence, he needed to know his condition. Whether Bucky was safe from Hydra for the time being or if everyone else was safe from the Winter Soldier.

_'Captain Rogers is in the boxing area below him. I believe Sergeant Barnes selected that location in order to observe him. Sergeant Barnes entered the building less than two minutes after Captain Rogers, although through different means. Sergeant Barnes has not shown any signs of hostility or ill intent. In fact, he doesn't seem inclined to initiate contact at all.'_

Jarvis brought up the view from the other security cameras in the area so Tony could see the full picture. Sure enough, Bucky appeared to be watching Steve, who was currently on his third punching bag. 

Tony zoomed in on Bucky a bit and brightened the image as much as he could without sacrificing too much quality. It was hard to make out much at the angle and with all the layers Bucky was wearing. He was crouched down. His left hand was pressed under the right side of his jacket. It was hard to tell, but it looked like he might be curling to the right a bit. 

“Hey Jarvis, does he look like he's favoring his right side to you?”

_'Yes, Sir. He appeared injured when he entered the building. Right side, lower torso. It doesn't appear to be life threatening. It is likely that he's already administered care; his military file had a list of skills that included battlefield first aid. I noted early signs of sleep deprivation and mild damage related to cold exposure in addition to the injury.'_

Tony frowned and checked the weather. He had been in his workshop for so long that he wasn't sure what was going on outdoors. It _was_ cold out, and it had been below freezing the past several nights. Somehow, he doubted that was all there was to Bucky's current state. For all he knew, the young man might not have even been in New York the past few nights.

He could think of only one way to find out. “Jarvis, make sure we aren't interrupted.” 

Tony pulled on the gauntlets from his armor. He didn't want to scare Bucky, the full suit would look too threatening, but he couldn't risk approaching him completely unarmed without knowing what state his mind was in.

Steve had allowed him to scan Bucky's SSR _and_ his Hydra files for Jarvis to look over and translate. Naturally, Steve talked about his long lost friend a lot, and Tony had read about the young man in some biographies of the Howling Commandos. Tony knew enough to feel confident that Bucky wouldn't _want_ to hurt him. He also knew the young man had been through hell a dozen times over and was likely to go into fight or flight mode when confronted. 

The last thing he wanted was for someone else to arrive and scare Bucky off, or worse, misread the situation and threaten him. While each of the Avengers understood that Bucky was operating under mind control during his time with Hydra, that didn't meant they wouldn't assume he was an immediate threat. 

Sam had stressed the fact that Bucky saving Steve's life didn't necessarily mean he was Bucky again once and for all. In fact, he’d argued that it would be impossible to completely recover from all that Bucky had been through over the past seven decades. He wanted to help his fellow veteran recover, but he definitely wouldn’t be pulling any punches if he thought Bucky was a threat.

Romanoff clearly wanted to give Bucky a fair chance. However, it was also clear that she held a slight grudge against the brainwashed man. In all fairness, she had been shot by the Winter Soldier on both occasions that she'd crossed paths with him. He also nearly killed Fury on Hydra’s command and the quickest ways to get on Romanoff’s shit list were to hurt Clint or Fury, or to show her up. Tony figured it wasn't unreasonable for her to bear some resentment. 

Clint seemed to be Bucky’s strongest defender after Steve. Tony didn’t know if it was because of his own experience with mind control or a desire to find the good in everyone or what. Bucky’s treatment under Hydra seemed to hit a nerve with the archer. He had argued that they should help Bucky when Romanoff proposed they leave the man to his own devices unless he comes up on their radar in a bad way. He even volunteered to help Steve look for Bucky once he’d finished extracting the SHIELD agents who’d needed assistance after the organization was fully exposed.

Rhodey would be fair to his fellow soldier. But if he found himself in a position where he felt he had to choose between saving Bucky or saving Tony, he wouldn’t even blink before putting a bullet in the POW, no matter how badly he’d feel afterwards. Tony didn’t want to see that happen. Especially because he spooked the young man. 

Hulk vs Winter Soldier would likely look awesome but be ultimately horrifying for all parties involved. Bruce and Bucky both had enough guilt to carry around, they didn’t need any more burdens. Thor wasn’t Earth bound at present and Bucky was clearly hiding from Steve for whatever reason. 

Tony definitely felt it was best if he handled this one alone for the time being. 

_'Of course, Sir. Good luck.'_

Tony nodded. He had to be more than lucky; he needed to be cautious. He didn't want to sneak up on Bucky. That likely wouldn't end well for either of them or the building as a whole. He also didn't want to give him enough warning to disappear before Tony ever had a chance to speak to him. 

“Jarvis, is Steve still in the gym?” Tony asked once he got close to Bucky’s location.

_'Yes, Sir. Captain Rogers has relocated to the showers. Sergeant Barnes has just started moving and is heading to the eastern door from his origin point. I believe he intends to retreat.'_

“Good thing I soundproofed the showers.” The last thing Tony needed was Steve interrupting him while he was confronting his long lost best friend. 

Tony picked up speed and used the maintenance hall in order to meet up with Bucky before he could leave the building. He just saw the door to the catwalk ahead of him slip closed when he approached the gym. Obviously, Bucky had heard someone approaching and decided to double back. It was a smart move.

“Bucky, my name is Tony.” He spoke loudly and approached the door slowly. “I'm a friend of Steve's. Rogers…Steve Rogers. Look, I just want to talk to you. You can leave right after if you want and it can stay between us. I'm going to come in there; please don't run.”

He thought for a brief moment and quickly added, “Or attack. 

“That would be bad for both of us. I really don't want to have to rebuild this place again and we both know Cap will kick my ass for making you feel threatened. Which you shouldn't. I'm not here to threaten you, I really just want to talk to you. Assuming you're still there listening and I’m not just talking to a door right now.”

Tony opened the door. Bucky was standing on the other side of the catwalk, facing him. He was far enough away to take off and Tony knew he wouldn’t be able to catch him. The distance also offered them each some protection. It was another smart move. 

Tony held up his hands. Bucky's eyes immediately caught on the Iron Man gauntlets. He looked more intrigued than threatened by them. Tony supposed that made sense. He vaguely wondered if the man had seen any other cyborgs. 

“Hey, kid.” That hadn't been how Tony planned on addressing the other man, but he'd been surprised by just how _young_ he looked. Hair and stubble aside, Bucky still looked like the young man in the war photos rather than the grizzly war veteran Tony couldn't help but picture when Steve told old stories. 

Tony wasn't sure what to say suddenly. This was someone who still should have his whole life ahead of him. Instead, he'd be lucky if he could manage to survive what had been done to him already. It made Tony feel a strange sense of anger or failure. He couldn’t quite place it, but he didn’t like it. 

The young man was still watching him, so Tony decided to start talking and figured he’d get around to a point eventually. He was always good at filling silences. “Thanks for waiting. So, like I said, I'm Tony. Stark. You might remember my old man, Howard Stark? He made Steve's Shield? 

“Actually, he sort of helped make Steve, well-” Tony gestured as if indicating something very large. He figured Bucky was bright enough to catch his meaning- “ _Steve_. Did you know him? My old man. Not Rogers, of course you know him.”

Bucky's eyes shifted between Tony's face and his raised (and armed, neither man was foolish enough to forget that) hands as he listened. His body was still and taught, like a cornered animal that hadn't quite decided what move to make yet. “Knew _of_ him. Steve liked him. That was good enough for me.” 

His voice surprised Tony as much as his youth had. It was warm and deep; a little rough from disuse, but his speech was not halting, unsure or robotic. Clearly, Bucky was quiet not because he'd forgotten how to speak, but because he'd learned to keep silent. That made a sick sort of sense when Tony considered how Hydra handled the upkeep of their 'asset'. 

Tony tilted his head agreeably while he considered what Bucky had said rather than the state of his voice. “That was mutual. The liking bit. Trust me. Kinda surprised he never got to know you though.” 

He succumbed to his habit of thinking aloud. “Makes sense when I think about it. You served the war in different ways. You were a soldier, he was a weapons designer. Guess someone like the old man wouldn't be rubbing elbows with a mere sergeant, even if said sergeant was Captain America's best friend and a brilliant strategist.

“And a damn impressive shot, too. I never understood why he didn't make you some better guns.” That had always bothered Tony. Outfitting Captain America with some top of the line gear was great, but outfitting the other Howling Commandos would have served the war (and the Captain they served) even better. “I would have been all over that. I guess he wasn't paying attention to the little guys. He was like that.”

Tony looked Bucky over as he spoke. The younger man definitely hadn't been sleeping well if the darkened flesh around his eyes was anything to go by. His face was slightly chapped as if he'd recently moved through a blizzard. Tony couldn't be sure -he'd never seen him in person before- but he thought Bucky might have lost weight. He looked like the kid in the war photos, without the additional bulk or bearing that Sam and Romanoff had described. Of course, he also might have simply appeared larger and more menacing when he was coming at them in full brainwashed assassin mode. 

More important than all that, Bucky was definitely favoring his right side and Tony could see blood when the younger man shifted and his outermost jacket moved. 

He looked pointedly at the bloodstain. “That your blood?”

Bucky nodded slowly. He was still watching Tony carefully.

Tony waited a beat to see if the younger man would offer anything more. When he was sure nothing else would follow, he asked. “You're hurt?” 

Another nod.

Tony was beginning to feel frustrated. Not receiving desired information usually had that effect on him. He reined in a sarcastic quip with an effort he would be sure to mention to Pepper or Rhodey at some point. He wanted full credit for his restraint. “Is it bad?” 

Bucky shook his head. Tony figured he should have expected that regardless. No matter what had happened to him, the kid had undoubtedly had worse. 

“Who did it?” Tony doubted the young man had been causing trouble, it didn't fit with everything else he knew about him. Whatever the cause of the skirmish, it would be nice to have a warning if someone might have followed him to the Tower. 

“Hydra.” Bucky's eyes changed at the mention of the organization, the emotion seemed to drain from them. For a brief moment Tony saw what the others had meant when they recounted how empty the Winter Soldier had appeared. 

“They came after you?” It was only natural that Hydra would want their asset back, but Tony (and the others) had hoped the young man had kept himself hidden. By all accounts, Bucky was smart and well trained by the army, the SRR and then Hydra. He should have figured out that they were after him and known how to disappear. 

Of course, Hydra might have had some sort of failsafe to ensure they could find him. For all they knew, there could have been a tracker in the arm. With how far Hydra had spread, they could use subliminal messages to make Bucky give away his position without his knowledge. Tony wondered if it would be a bad move to ask Jarvis to scan the room for unfriendly technology or hack nearby security cameras to give them a longer warning period, or if that would set Bucky off. 

Bucky shook his head again before Tony could get too paranoid. “I tried to stay away from them, but Steve went to an old base. He's been tracking 'em down. This one wasn't as empty as he thought.”

Tony was pretty sure Steve had just returned from a 'failed' mission to find Bucky or information that might point to his current whereabouts. Apparently, Steve had more support during the mission than he'd realized. He’d mentioned Siberia or some such place, which explained the cold damage Bucky had sustained. 

“You were protecting him?” Bucky nodded again and Tony echoed the motion. “You've been keeping an eye out for him?” Another nod. “I guess old habits really do die hard.” 

Bucky’s only response to that was a thoughtful expression. Tony wondered if he remembered the old days of watching out for his friend or if the Potomac save had been based on instinct alone. 

He made sure his tone stayed casual, not threatening or accusing. “Why not just come out to him? You know he misses you, right?”

Bucky shifted his gaze slightly, just enough that he could follow his thoughts but not enough that he would miss any movement from Tony. His tone was regretful when he answered. “I'm not who he wants.”

Tony frowned. He didn't understand how the younger man could think that. “You're _all_ he wants. You're all he's been able to think about for months. He-” Bucky had started shaking his head. Tony's frown deepened. “What?” 

The younger man looked heartbroken. “He wants who I was. I'm not _him_. Not any more. I don't know if I ever will be.”

Tony closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. This was going to hurt Bucky, and Tony really didn't want to do that, but the only way he was going to earn the young man's trust was to be honest. He began to think it might be a good thing that Steve wasn't the first to approach his friend. 

It wasn't that the Captain had gotten through everything he'd experienced completely undamaged, Tony knew, but there was something about Steve. Nothing really seemed to penetrate to his core, to change his sense of self. It was as frustrating as it was comforting. 

Tony knew Steve wouldn't care that Bucky had changed, that he would love his friend anyway. He also knew that Steve would not understand the full depth of what Bucky was saying at present. He would no doubt offer blind assurances that he was still 'his Bucky' and that might do more harm than good. Steve wouldn't recognize his own words as a lie, but Bucky would. It might be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back. 

He had no idea what that kind of broken might look like and he didn’t want to find out.

Tony opened his eyes and looked at Bucky. The younger man met and held his gaze. “I hate to break it to you, kid, but you _aren't_ going to be that guy again. I know.”

Bucky didn't interrupt; didn't argue or ask any questions. He just watched Tony with interest. Listening, thinking. Tony wondered when the last time was that anyone had just talked to him like a person.

Tony decided to continue with an explanation of his last statement. Bucky hadn't had any choice in who knew about his trauma any more than he'd had any choice in being Dr Zola’s guinea pig. It was only fair that Tony let him see a bit of his old hurts as well. It was the closest thing to even footing he could offer. 

“I was captured by a terrorist cell about five years ago. It wasn't Hydra and it wasn't nearly as horrific as what you went through, but it was bad. It changed everything. It changed _me_. Left me walking around with a weight in my chest -figuratively and literally. Something like that changes you. Its not your fault. Fuck, its impo...ssi...ble...” 

Tony trailed off as he noticed a change in Bucky's expression. It was subtle. It looked like he was affected more strongly by that last statement. Tony quickly thought back on what he'd said and realized it was the lack of blame that shocked Bucky. It hurt the young man somehow, worse than the confirmation that he was never going to be the person he was before being captured, tortured and brainwashed. 

After a moment, Tony figured it out. Or he hoped he had. Bucky _wanted_ to believe what Tony had said, but couldn't bring himself to. Maybe it was guilt or the brainwashing or plain old fear. 

It didn't matter, Tony was a man of science at heart and from what he'd heard and read, Bucky had been too. Science was all about logic and there was no logical reason to blame Bucky for what Hydra did.

Tony was finally in his comfort zone again. He set upon the subject with his full confidence. 

“You do know that none of this was your fault, right? It was Hydra.” Bucky didn't look convinced. Tony made direct eye contact again and held it, accepting the challenge before him. “Look, I used to design weapons. It was the family business ever since the war, you know? I was good at it too, just like the old man. Better than, in fact.

“The point is, I _know_ weapons; I know machines. Top to bottom, inside and out. And I know that a machine doesn't have choice in who or what you use it against. You point it, you set it off; whatever happens then isn't the machine’s fault. The fault lies with whoever is operating it. 

“That applies to you too. Hydra knew you would die before you'd serve them, so they made you a living machine. And you fought them every step of the way. That's what all the brainwashing and forced amnesia was for. So anything they used that machine for is on them. _Never you_.”

Bucky looked contemplative but weary. “But...” He shook his head softly. He looked sad and tired. 

Tony allowed himself a small smirk at the small sign of defeat. He doubted it would scare the young man off now. “Look, we can establish that I'm right later. You're a smart kid and I love explaining things to people who can actually appreciate my genius. Right now, what if you and me head to my workshop?” 

Bucky immediately tensed and looked at Tony with suspicion. 

Tony had to fight to keep his hands still. The smirk fell off his face. “Wait. No. Just, hang on. I have medical supplies there. Enough to support a small hospital.” That definitely hadn’t helped calm the young man. “Wait-

“We can get you cleaned up; get _that_ -” Tony used a single finger to point to the blood without lowering his hands. “Taken care of. Steve doesn't have to know if you don't want him to. We can talk about that after. Let's just get you taken care of and we can work everything else out from there.”

Bucky hesitated, clearly thinking it over. Apparently resolved in whatever decision he'd made, he offered a single demand. “No restraints.”

Tony felt like finding a punching bag Steve hadn't destroyed already and putting in a few jabs. His raised hands began curling into fists before he caught himself. He tried to force his expression to stay neutral but he suspected something gave him away, if the sudden cautious once over Bucky gave him was any indication. “Agreed.”

Finally, Bucky nodded. 

“Great!” Tony smiled. He felt relieved, as if he'd just faced off with a wounded but deadly animal and survived to tell the tale. And maybe gained a new companion in the process. Time would tell. 

“Good. I'm going to lower my hands and lead the way, okay? You just follow me and we'll make sure no one sees you. Jarvis, make sure we aren't disturbed.”

_'Of course, Sir.'_

Bucky's eyes snapped to the nearest hidden speaker. Tony raised his brows. “I'm impressed. Most people look around or just up at the ceiling the first time they hear him. Or _every_ time they hear him, in some cases. I’ve got some stories about Cap that might make even you crack a smile.”

“He's always watching?” Bucky asked as he followed Tony. His footsteps were eerily silent on the metal catwalk. 

“Yeah, Jarvis is our AI.” Tony turned back to the younger man without stopping. “Do you know what that is?”

Bucky nodded. “Artificial Intelligence.” He said it levelly, but he looked interested and his eyes suddenly had a sparkle to them. 

Tony grinned. Steve had told him how much Bucky loved technology and science. If his dad's old toys had made an impression on the kid, Tony knew his tech would impress him even more. “If you like that, stick around. You'll get to see all my really cool shit.”

He lead Bucky into his private workshop. When he stopped near the center of the room, Bucky finally stood beside him. The man was a few inches taller than Tony and looked as if he were just reaching his prime physically. Despite the youthful appearance, Tony knew he'd had more training than any of the Avengers except for Thor. Probably.

He would definitely be difficult to contain if he posed a threat. The thing was, Tony didn't believe that he did. 

He took off his gauntlets. 

Bucky watched curiously. “They disconnect?”

Tony drew his brows in. “Of course. I have to- Wait.” Tony looked at Bucky's left arm. The impressive prosthesis was completely covered by his sleeves and gloves, but the small muffled sounds it made when he moved proved it was there.

Tony _may_ have devoted an unhealthy amount of time to studying whatever he could find on the bionic arm after he'd learned about it. At least, that was the word Pepper and Happy had used. Rhodey just rolled his eyes and teased Tony about it whenever the opportunity arose. In any case, Tony had pored over every entry in Bucky’s Hydra file that mentioned the arm. 

The file hadn't been nearly as thorough about the tech as Tony would have liked. Instead it focused on brainwashing and generally keeping him an asset; how to establish control, how to keep him a functional amnesiac who followed orders rather than turn his brain into a useless mess of scar tissue. Tony had made certain logical assumptions to fill the gaps in the notes that mentioned any upgrades or upkeep on the arm. One of those assumptions had been that the arm was removed at such times. 

“Is that arm permanently attached to you?” Bucky nodded dully in reply, as if that wasn't a horrific concept. Tony doubted the young man misunderstood, but he rephrased because _he_ couldn't accept that answer. “It _never_ comes off?”

Bucky looked confused at Tony's outraged tone. “No, its my arm now.”

“But its cybernetic, right? Made of metals and wires and all that?” Bucky nodded again, his expression hadn't changed. Tony really was not liking the implications of this discussion. He did not like that Bucky was so accepting of this cruel fact. “What about maintenance? Repairs? Upgrades? There's no way they haven't modified the shit out of that thing since the start of the Cold War. Wasn't it removed for all that?” 

Bucky just shook his head. 

Tony felt nauseous. The arm had to be attached directly to Bucky's nervous system in order for it to function the way it did. It also had to be heavy as hell. It would require a pretty serious support frame just to keep it attached to him, let alone to allow him to use the arm at it’s full strength without tearing it right off his body. If the arm was permanently attached, the support system would have to be as well, and Tony couldn't see anything like it on the younger man, which meant it was all internal. 

He wanted to be wrong about that. There was no way for a person to walk around comfortably with that much hardware inside them. And for it to be directly attached to his nerves while it was being worked on or any time it was damaged would be excruciatingly painful. Tony just hoped Bucky had been unconscious for most of it. He doubted Hydra cared about its asset enough to ensure it though. After all, if he freaked out on them or was too badly traumatized, they could just wipe him and start over with nothing but his semantic memories. 

It was probably better for them to do that anyway. That way he could never tell their secrets if they did lose control of him.

Tony shook his head. He thought he'd already hated Hydra as much as possible, once he'd found out they were taking credit for his parents' deaths. It seemed he had it in himself to hate them just a little more, knowing that murder wasn't the worst they were willing to do to an innocent person. He needed to focus now though. To think, rather than get caught up in his feelings. 

There was only one sure way to find out what they were dealing with; what had physically been done to Bucky. He'd have Jarvis and DUM-E get everything ready for a full scan and hope Bucky would agree to it. It would be much more effective if he could get the younger man to cooperate. Tony wasn't above sneaking in partial scans, but they could easily miss something that way.

He also needed to keep the younger man at ease until he found out just how badly he was injured. “So... Why don't you start peeling off all those layers you've got on and I'll go get some supplies for your injury. What are we looking at here? What do I bring? Just bandages? Disinfectant is probably a good idea, right? Did you have time to clean it out already?”

Bucky's fingers (the flesh ones) twitched. Tony wasn't sure what to make of that. The younger man took a second before replying. “As well as I could. Do you have pliers?”

The bad feeling came back with a vengeance. Tony glanced at the hidden technology again. He couldn't tell if the arm was damaged or not. “Pliers?”

Bucky was observing the workshop. Whether it was because he was just too used to watching his back now; because he was interested in the tech; or because he simply didn't like whatever he was seeing on Tony's face, the older man didn't know. He could have been buying time to decide if he wanted to tell Tony what was going on. 

He could have just been looking for pliers for all Tony knew. Caring for a traumatized POW wasn't really part of Tony's skill set. He was doing the best he could.

The answer finally came, levelly. “The blade's still in the wound. That's why it hasn't closed.”

“Fuck.” Tony stopped his own hands from twitching with the desire to grab the kid and make him sit down, get help. He vaguely wondered if Rhodey and the others ever felt that way about him. He pushed that thought away. He could make up for the stress he caused his friends after he made sure Bucky wasn't about to bleed to death in his workshop. “I can get a doctor here in-”

“No.” Bucky's voice was firm. His jaw was set. His eyes were frightened. 

Someone in Bucky's current state and with his level of training was dangerous when frightened. Tony was torn between needing to handle him carefully and wanting to get him the best help he could. He definitely did not like the idea of Bucky practically performing surgery on himself, but he couldn't see any way to make the kid accept more help than he was willing to. 

He forced his tone to remain as friendly and undemanding as possible given the circumstances. He wasn't quite as successful as he'd been while distracting Loki, but then, he had still been in a bit of shock from Phil's death and he hadn't given much of a shit about Loki. He hadn't honestly cared if the supposed-god survived whatever they threw at him. He really cared about the outcome here. He didn't understand why he felt so invested already, but he wanted Bucky to survive. Hydra had taken enough already. 

“They'd keep it discreet, if that's what you're worried about. Money can buy silence where professionalism fails and I have more of it than I know what to do with. I also know doctors with unique skills, if there's something about you that you think will make them screw up. If there's any way you're willing to let me call someone, just tell me what I need to know. I'll do whatever I can and there isn’t much I _can’t_ do.”

Bucky began blinking as if he were having trouble focusing. “No doctors.” He looked at Tony again. He didn't look like a deadly assassin at the moment. He looked like a soldier coming out of shell-shock: hurt, scared, lost. He looked the way Tony had the first time he'd seen his reflection after he'd returned home five years ago. “ _Please_.” 

Tony got it then. This wasn't about keeping a low profile or Bucky's uniquely altered body. What Hydra had done to Bucky had left more marks than the ones Tony was about to see. It would take a lot more than a cheeseburger and some fluids to fix them. 

“Okay.” He nodded and hoped the depth of his understanding showed on his face somehow. “Its okay, kid. I told you we could keep this between us and I meant it. Just stay here, grab a seat if you want and try to stay conscious. I'll be back with everything you need.”

Without waiting for a response, he headed over to where he'd set up medical supplies in case he had accidents during test trials. He figured the younger man would probably appreciate a moment to pull himself together again after nearly braking down in front of a stranger. As he gathered everything he needed, Tony asked Jarvis to nonchalantly get everything ready for full body scans. 

“Use DUM-E if you have to move anything. I want it already set up when I ask him.”

 _'I understand, Sir.'_ Jarvis sounded approving. That always made Tony feel more confident in his plans. It helped to calm him now. 

“And be sure to check the arm for any surprises Hydra might have hidden in it. Traps, trackers, super-soldier version of an e-collar, _poisons_ , anything.”

_‘Yes, sir. I’ll alert you immediately if I detect any harmful software or devices.’_

Tony quickly gathered all the supplies he figured they'd need. He doubted Bucky would accept assistance but he made sure to include extra surgical gloves just in case. He also grabbed an extra bottle of alcohol, a bottle of water and a pencil torch off one of his workbenches as he passed. His pliers were all used on his cars or suits. There was no way he was letting Bucky use one to pull a broken blade out of himself without sterilizing it first, accelerated healing or not. 

Bucky had begun removing the clothes from his torso while Tony was gone. Rather than sit in the nearest chair, he'd used it to drape his gloves, jacket, hoodie and two shirts. He was still peeling off yet another shirt when Tony put down everything he'd brought and started working on the pliers. 

Underneath Bucky's clothes were bandages...and several surgical scars on his back, right in the areas Tony would have had suspected there would be if he'd realized Bucky could scar. He briefly wondered if that meant Bucky didn't heal the way Steve did or if the surgeries had been severe enough to leave scars regardless. It was also possible the surgeries had been done at a time when Bucky didn't heal as quickly or cleanly. His super soldier stature had been done in phases rather than all at once as it had been done with Steve. There had been plenty of trial and error and the records of any failures weren't detailed since the point was to have a template to duplicate the experiment once it was deemed a success. 

There was just so much they still didn't know about what had been done to Bucky. 

Tony didn't think asking would do any good. With any luck, Bucky wouldn't remember and if he did, Tony didn't want to make him relive anything right now. He was already wounded and half-naked in front of a stranger. His muscles were taut and his eyes still hadn't calmed completely, so he was definitely feeling some fear in the situation. 

Tony turned his attention to what else was going on under the bandages and gauze pads Bucky was removing. There was a seeping wound where Tony could make out the gleam of the broken blade sticking out through the blood and torn flesh. It was over Bucky's lowest ribs, which had probably protected his organs. 

“Shit.” Tony eyed the injury. “That's going to bleed a lot. I have a surgical stapler, but that’s only going to help you with the skin. How do you feel about letting me take a scan to see what's going on inside?” If he was killing two birds with one stone, Bucky didn’t have to know just yet. For now, Tony really didn’t want the kid to bleed to death. 

Bucky had wrapped his left arm around his torso to press his hand over the wound. “No x-rays or MRI. I lost a couple hours over a cappuccino machine in a bookstore last month, so I doubt I'd handle those well.”

Tony was definitely going to ask about that incident later. “It wouldn't be like that. I promise.” He tried to think of how to explain it to Bucky. The young man was more up to speed on modern technology than Steve, but his education had been limited to what was necessary for his use to Hydra. It was difficult to guess what he'd be familiar with and what he wouldn't.

Deciding that he'd rather be safe than sorry, Tony gestured at the corners of the room. “See those things that look like little security cameras? They're lasers. They can penetrate your skin -without harming you, of course. It'll show us if there's any broken bones or punctured organs or hemorrhaging going on in there.”

Bucky wasn't protesting anymore, and he seemed to understand the technology described, but he didn't look entirely comfortable with the idea either. Tony decided to take one last stab at it. They really needed to focus on getting that blade out. “Here, I'll show you. You just walk over here so nothing's blocking the path of the beams and then you hold up your arms like this.” Tony stood in a 't' pose. “Jarvis, go ahead.”

The process was quick enough and completely painless. Tony was already fully comfortable with the process. He had used it before when he was designing suits or checking on his arc reactor before he was able to remove it. 

Once the scans were done, Tony gestured over himself as he looked at Bucky. “See? That's it. If it hurts your wound too much to hold your arms up that high, you can just hold them away from your body as best you can.”

Bucky seemed fascinated by the scans. He watched as the results popped up on one of Tony's transparent monitors. Then, he walked over to where Tony was still standing and raised his arms. 

Tony smiled, pleased and impressed by the small show of trust. The smile dropped when he noticed the blood dripping from Bucky's open wound. He stepped away quickly and told Jarvis to start the scan.

“Now just stay as still as you can,” he said to Bucky. Despite his injury and his nerves, Bucky held his arms in position and didn't move at all throughout the entire scan. Tony didn't even see him blink. 

Once that was finished, Bucky returned to their makeshift medical area. Tony started reading the information they'd gained. 

He was right about the support structure for the arm. It was very advanced, metal was grafted over his shoulder blades, collarbone, part of his spine and several ribs. There was some sort of wire mesh between the skin and pectoral muscles that attached it to his sternum as well. It was altogether more cumbersome then was necessary and clearly designed without any thought for the suffering it would cause. The lines where skin met metal seemed to be in a constant state of damage and healing. If the technology itself wasn't so sophisticated, Tony would have described it as a hack job. No one should have considered it permanent no matter who they had attached it to.

He could improve it. He was sure of it. He just needed to get the kid to trust him so he could have the chance. 

Tony quickly shifted his focus to the area of Bucky's injury. He could easily see the knife stuck in between his ribs. He hissed in sympathy. “It looks like you have a couple broken ribs where that knife is. Didn’t puncture any vital organs though. It should be safe to remove it.” 

He was glad he had finished sterilizing the pliers already. As soon as he finished talking, Bucky picked them up with his bionic hand and gripped the edge of the blade sticking out of his skin. His movements were steady and his expression was determined but sweat broke out on his forehead and his eyes shone with pain. 

“Wait, wait...stop!” Tony held up a hand and Bucky complied, looking mildly startled by the outburst. “Fuck, don't- Don't just rip it out. At least use a local anesthetic for the pain.” Bucky was clearly about to refuse. Tony held up his hand again as he thought quickly. “Wait. Needles. Are needles a problem?”

Bucky nodded. Then he swallowed. Tony figured he must be in more pain now, having started the removal. The bleeding had increased as well. 

Tony spoke rapidly. “I have a jet injector. It uses air to make a pressurized stream of medication that penetrates the skin. No needles, okay? I'll put it right here on the table and you can use it on yourself. Just...wait a second.” 

Inwardly cursing himself for not bringing it with the other medical supplies, Tony retrieved the jet injector and the strongest local anesthetic he had. He assumed Bucky's metabolism was similar to Steve's. He hoped the kid healed as quickly as Steve did. He was definitely making progress with the younger man, but he doubted he'd be able to convince Bucky to stay as long as it would take a normal person to heal from such an injury. 

Bucky eyed the medication warily. Tony began to tap his fingers against his thigh. He was trying to consider other options to get that knife out without harming Bucky or traumatizing him any further. Finally, Bucky switched so his flesh hand was pressing against his wound and he used his bionic arm to load the jet injector. He quickly pressed it close to the wound and administered the drug. He duplicated the action on the other side of the injury without any prompting. 

Tony exhaled sharply. “Okay, just give that a second to work. It'll hurt a lot less.”

Again, Bucky nodded. He looked grateful this time. He swallowed but didn't speak. Most men would have puked or collapsed by now, so Tony was impressed enough by the small show of gratitude.

It was clear that Bucky didn't want assistance while treating his wound and Tony's proximity seemed to be making him uneasy. Tony assumed it had something to do with feeling vulnerable; that Bucky was too distracted by the pain and precision needed to keep as close a watch on him as he'd like. 

In what Pepper or Rhodey would no doubt dub a 'rare show of consideration' Tony decided to step away for a moment. Not one to stand idle, he started thinking ahead. 

Bucky looked and smelled remarkably good for a guy who'd been on the lamb for months without any contacts or suppliers and who'd just recently fought off who-knew-how-many Hydra agents for Steve. But he would need to bathe properly just to ensure that his wounds didn't become infected. Tony had a small shower stall in his workshop bathroom. Tony suspected Bucky would feel uncomfortable in the tight, enclosed space. He'd seen the photos of Bucky in cryostasis. If it were him, he’d never want to be in a space smaller than a walk-in closet.

Tony grabbed an electric screwdriver and started taking the panels off the sides of the stall. The room would get wet, but it was a bathroom, it was designed to handle moisture. Besides, Tony could easily replace anything in the room if necessary. He could renovate the entire room if need be.

Tony approached Bucky again after he finished and checked that the young man wasn't in the middle of anything vital. Bucky had stapled himself up and was taping some fresh gauze over the wound. “Hey, kid; why don't you just tape the gauze on there for now and you can bandage it up properly after you've cleaned up?” 

Bucky hesitated and Tony rolled his eyes. “Come on, you don't want to walk around with dried blood and sweat all over you. When was the last time you had a nice, hot shower? Actually, have you ever had a nice hot shower?” 

Tony had meant it teasingly -mostly- but Bucky actually seemed to think about it before responding. “I don't remember.” 

“Huh.” Tony made a mental note to look up plumbing and what cheap apartment bathrooms were like in the thirties and forties. “Well, here's your chance.” He pointed to the bathroom. “There are towels in there already. Don’t worry about messing them up, they’re my shop towels. I expect to replace them every couple weeks at least. Take your time.”

Bucky approached the room steadily but with an air of caution. He looked inside, frowned at the now wall-less shower and then turned a thoughtful glance on Tony. Tony stayed quiet while the younger man worked out whatever was baffling him. 

“Thank you.” 

Tony was stunned. Not at the politeness, he'd heard Steve talk about Bucky enough to know the kid had manners. It was the sheer earnestness of the gratitude that got him. Bucky had clearly not expected that level of consideration and was touched that it had been granted to him. Tony couldn't believe _he_ was someone's first exposure to thoughtfulness. He had no idea how to reply to that. 

Bucky waited a moment before he must have decided that Tony wasn't going to respond. Then he closed the bathroom door between them. 

Tony smiled. He returned to the workstation turned medical slab and the smile fell. There was a bucket with all of the discarded bandages and the removed blade. All of the used instruments were in the bowl of alcohol Tony has used to disinfect his pliers and they'd stained the liquid red. Bucky had bled through all his clothes but his outermost jacket. 

“Jarvis, use the scans to determine Bucky's size and get some clean clothes for him in here, ASAP. Keep it all nondescript...and age appropriate. Let's avoid the old man phase Steve went through. Get some for the rest of us too. That way it won't stand out on any receipts.”

_'Certainly, Sir. Should I purchase some spare toiletries as well?'_

“Yeah, and a good first aid kit, some meal bars or MREs...and backpacks.” Tony was hoping to convince Bucky to stick around a while. Whether that worked or not, he didn't want to send the young man off without some supplies. Bucky had obviously been taking care of himself somehow, but Tony had no way of knowing how he was doing on supplies. “Make it look like we're preparing for some team building camping trip thing.

“And contact Maria. Tell her we need to keep Steve here for the rest of the week at least. Press detail or training. I don't care. She can come up with something, she's good at that. Don't tell her why, just stress that its important Cap stick around for the time being.”

_‘I’m contacting Ms Hill now. Also, Sir, I found no tracking devices or the like hidden in Sergeant Barnes’ prosthesis. Scar tissue in his thigh suggest that something was embedded in it prior to his current level of accelerated healing but that it has been removed since.’_

Tony nodded and glanced at one of the scan Jarvis had pulled up with the scar tissue in question highlighted. “They probably didn’t want to risk anything interfering with the arm, so they kept their tracker away from the whole frame. Kid probably took it out after he got free. I don’t want to imagine how.”

Rather than dwell on that thought, Tony headed to a large storage closet. He was mostly using it for actual storage these days, but there was still a cot and small dresser in there from the time when he commonly slept in his workshop during a project. He started clearing out his stuff to make room for someone to stay in there comfortably again. 

Bucky came out while Tony was still on that. He hadn't been in the shower as long as Tony had expected, but he looked clean. He also looked more relaxed than when he'd gone in. He was wearing the same jeans again and Tony frowned at them. 

“I had some clothes for the team coming in. I added some stuff in your size. Should be here first thing in the morning. In the meantime, why don't I snag a t-shirt and some running pants from Steve's spare stuff in the gym? Its all way too tight on him, so it should fit you well enough. At least it’ll be better than your blood coated stuff.”

Bucky shook his head. “Thanks, but I don't want to take Steve's things.”

“We're just borrowing it until your new stuff gets here. Just for the night. He wont even notice its gone. Besides, you know he'd want you to use anything you need and didn't you two used to 'live out of each other's pockets,' I believe is the phrase Steve used?” Tony looked the younger man over as he bandaged his torso. “Do you have anything else?”

“A little.” Bucky's voice tightened a bit as he wrapped his broken ribs. “My place is in Romania. I just got here when Steve did. Stashed my bag on your roof on my way in.”

Tony nodded. “Makes sense. Easy to split if you need to.” He tilted his head slightly as he studied the younger man. “Why Romania?” 

“First place I found where Hydra didn't have a presence.” Bucky ignored the bloodied shirts and just put his hoodie on after he finished with the bandages. He zipped it up without giving away any sign of discomfort. 

Tony perked up at the mention of Hydra. He was beginning to form another two-birds-one-stone sort of idea. “You know where Hydra has a presence and where they don't?”

“To an extent, yeah. I can recognize them pretty well, but I don't...remember those kinds of details...from before. They-” Bucky paused and took a deep breath. It was clearly difficult for him to talk about this, but he seemed determined to struggle through it, so Tony didn't stop him. “They made me forget. I went back to the last place they'd had me before I broke through -before Steve helped me break through. I took some information and some weapons before I got out of there.”

That he would have stayed as far away from Hydra as possible had Steve not started going after old bases was left unsaid, but Tony would have bet on it being the case. He didn't know what Bucky's plans were now, but he had a hard time believing the guy he heard about in all those stories would be happy letting the bad guys win. And he definitely didn’t think he’d let Steve face danger alone. 

Tony decided to take a shot on that. He might be able to keep Bucky around a few days and make more progress in wiping Hydra off the map at the same time. 

“If I set you up with a map and some files here.” Tony pointed to tone of his monitors. “Would you be able to mark them? It doesn't have to be exact or up to date, I know you wouldn't have much information. Just anyplace you remember Hydra being or being interested in. Anyplace you came across some sign of them while you were trying to escape them. Anything that looks or feels like them to you. Anything that can help us take them out for good.”

Bucky's expression changed from distant to slightly miserable and finally, to determined. “Yeah.” He swallowed, blinked, nodded. He met Tony’s gaze. “I can do that.”

Tony grinned. He clapped his hands once. Bucky didn't flinch at the motion or sound, so he assumed it was fine even as it occurred to him that it might have been a bad move around the POW. 

“All right. How about you stay here a few nights? You can work on that while you heal up and stick close to Steve without him knowing. Jarvis will let you know if he leaves the building.”

“He will?” Bucky sounded mildly surprised.

 _‘Certainly, Sergeant Barnes.’_ Jarvis answered. To Tony, he sounded friendly.

Bucky didn’t react to Jarvis. Instead, he looked Tony over. “Why?” 

“Why...?” Tony was a bit baffled. Of course he would know Bucky would follow Steve if he went off again. While Bucky was excited about an AI, he didn't seem unaware of the concept. Jarvis' ability shouldn't be a surprise. He thought of Bucky's genuine thanks earlier and finally came across a likely conclusion. “Why am I helping you?”

Bucky nodded. He was watching Tony closely, curiously. 

“Why _wouldn't_ I help you? We're on the same side here and it costs me practically nothing. One of my friends and colleagues would be devastated if anything happened to you. I doubt you like the word 'victim' anymore than I do, but that's what you've been. You didn't deserve that. From what I've heard -and I have _very_ reliable sources- you were pretty much the last person to deserve that. 

“You're practically the embodiment of all the pain we're trying to stop Hydra from inflicting on the world and even while hiding from the bastards, you're still fighting them. Not for anything as understandably selfish as revenge, but to stop them from hurting someone else. I was a complete ass before I got a second chance. If I deserved everything I got now then someone like you probably deserves more but this is all I can offer.”

The whole tirade came out in an indignant, vehement rush. Tony hadn't the presence of mind to reel in his feelings. He had even started his usual pacing and gesturing while he said it. He stopped and looked at Bucky, hoping he hadn't made a huge misstep. 

The younger man was watching him, with a sad but unruffled expression. He looked closer to calm than he had the entire time he'd been in Tony's presence. He simply nodded once he saw that Tony was finished. “Okay. Then I'll stay awhile.” He licked his lips; Tony had enough nervous ticks of his own to recognize one. “As long as I can leave whenever I choose.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Of course.” He looked the younger man over again. “So about those clothes?”

Bucky sighed softly. “Yeah, sure. I'll get my bag.” He glanced at his bloody pile of clothes. “I'm out of shirts though. You still think its alright to borrow one from Steve? Nothing he'll miss, please.”

Tony waved off the concern. “The man has thirty-six shirts -all blue or white from what I can tell- and he wears the same handful over and over again. He'll never notice it's gone.”

Bucky's 'bag' turned out to be a run of the mill backpack. Tony was so pleased he'd ordered the kid some things. He didn't know if it was a throwback of growing up in the Depression or an effect of the war or what, but these guys didn't seem big on owning stuff. He was really going to have to work on that. 

That could wait though. He still had to convince Bucky to stay long term and to agree to talk to Steve at some point. 

“Hey...” Bucky paused just before he reached the door. He only turned halfway to Tony and he sounded uncertain, not of his words but of himself. It was the first time he initiated conversation and Tony supposed he wasn't accustomed to speaking out of turn yet. “For what its worth, I think you deserved that second chance. You’re a good guy, Tony.”

Bucky left immediately after speaking and Tony was glad for it. He had no idea how to respond to that and was horror-stricken to find that his eyes were tearing up. He brushed off the unexpected emotion and went to snag one of Steve's shirts from his gym locker. 

The next few days passed easily enough. Bucky didn't heal as quickly as Steve, who would have recovered entirely by now, but he was definitely recovering much quicker than a normal person would. He focused on going over all of the Avengers' information on Hydra and marking locations of interest or anything he thought they had written off too soon or that might be a bigger threat than they assumed. He also tinkered a little bit and Tony was impressed at his engineering skills.

Bucky was quiet and focused when he worked. He explored Tony's workshop a bit and befriended all of his robots. Jarvis kept him abreast of Steve's movements and showed him security footage of Steve whenever he asked. Tony brought in a treadmill with the excuse he was going to try to make it Steve-proof – something which took very little time with him and Bucky working together- and kept it down there for Bucky to use while he recovered. The younger man was grateful and seemed perfectly content living in a storage closet in Tony's workshop.

Despite his lack of independence over the past several decades and the condition he was in when they met, Bucky appeared to have no trouble taking care of himself. It seemed he had only fallen into disrepair while tracking down Steve and keeping his friend alive when the stubborn man bit off more than he could chew. Now that he was assured Steve was safe in the tower, he bathed regularly, kept himself warm (sometimes he looked like he should be too warm, but Tony never remarked on it) and hydrated, exercised and ate regularly. He even performed some basic maintenance on his arm. He didn't sleep well, but Tony was aware of how hypocritical it would be for him to comment on that. 

Tony studied the scans they'd taken and considered the Hydra files Steve had given him with the additional information. He was certain he could make Bucky much more comfortable without having to sacrifice too much strength. The trick would be getting the kid to agree. No matter how Tony approach it, they were looking at multiple surgeries. Tony and Bucky could program and assemble all the tech themselves but Tony wasn't a surgeon. He would need Dr Cho or a similarly skilled doctor to help once they reached that point. 

They talked a little. Or rather, Bucky talked a little, Tony had no trouble filling the silences when he wanted to. More often than not, they worked quietly and stayed out of each other's way when one of them wasn't in the mood for company. Bucky was a natural with the machines. He learned quickly and occasionally asked questions. They were always intelligent questions and Tony liked that the kid truly listened to his answers.

As a week of this strange camaraderie approached, Tony had to admit he had grown to genuinely like the kid. He was already thinking of asking Bucky if he could introduce him to Pepper. He was sure she would like him. She was also starting to grow concerned about all the time he was spending in his workshop the past several days. He'd had to swear the night before that he wasn't working on another suit already. 

Most concerning to Tony was that Bucky was healing quickly. He was happy about that, but also worried about what it meant was coming. A few more days and he should be able to leave. Tony doubted a job offer would keep him there if Steve's presence couldn't. 

Of course, he could just continue to live in the storage closet. He seemed content enough and it wasn't as if Tony was short of storage space...

Bucky's voice cut into his line of thought. “Hang on, DUM-E. Tony?”

Tony looked at the young man, who glanced down at Tony's hands. He had been soldering what he claimed was part of a new drone for Rhodey (but was really an early mock up for Bucky's new bionic arm) while he was thinking and he'd caught a wire, which was sparking lightly and beginning to smoke. A quick look behind him showed DUM-E ready with a fire extinguisher. Tony pointed at the robot. “Don't you dare.”

He killed the power supply and the sparks stopped. He could swear DUM-E sounded disappointed as he moved away. It would be easy enough to change out the wire and fix his distracted soldering job later, so Tony wasn't too bothered by the setback. He didn't even know if Bucky would accept the arm yet, after all. If he didn't, Tony was sure that perfecting a new form of technology would come in useful somewhere else in his many lines of work.

“You okay?” Bucky asked as he turned back to the report he was setting up on possible Hydra movement in Northern Europe. Tony had discovered that his definition of 'possible' was different from most. If Bucky said something was possible, it meant there was at least an 90% probability of that being the case. He just wasn't _certain_ , so it was 'possible' instead of 'factual'. 

The kid would make a hell of scientist. 

Tony considered the young man for a moment and noticed something else that had been bothering him lately. Bucky kept scratching at the scruff on his face the past couple of days. Well, he'd scratched at it seven times that Tony had counted but for Bucky, that seemed to be a high sign of discomfort. It was obviously bothering him, but he wasn't doing anything about it. “You got a shaving kit in that bag of yours?”

Bucky looked a little nonplussed by the sudden question, but simply shook his head in answer. Tony was used to that by now. He didn’t really need an explanation anyway. Bucky had left most of his few belongings in Romania when he’d taken off after Steve. Soap and a razor were easy to replace and would have been discarded as unnecessary given the limited amount of space in his backpack. 

“I have an electric razor in the bathroom. Have you ever used one of those?” Bucky shook his head again, but he looked interested. Tony motioned for the younger man to follow him and headed into the bathroom. “Here, I'll show you.” 

Tony made a bit of a show of trimming around his goatee a bit, just to clean it up and show how the razor worked. He wiped it off afterwards and held it out to the younger man. “Wanna give it a shot?”

Bucky nodded and took the proffered shaver. They switched places so he was standing in front of the mirror. He didn't give any indication that he wanted Tony to leave, so he stood in the doorway. He had gradually been easing closer to the younger man's personal space without actually crowding him, which was quite the show for Tony. He normally got into everyone's space as he pleased. 

Bucky took a moment to look at his reflection as if it was not the person he expected to see before he quickly started using the razor with nearly as much ease as Tony did. The older man grinned. “You catch on quick, kid. It took Cap a lot longer to get the hang of doing things the way we do now.”

Bucky turned off the razor and started cleaning up the sink when he finished. Tony headed back into his workspace to let the younger man have a moment in case seeing his uncovered face for what Tony assumed was the first time since World War II warranted a reaction. Bucky joined him after a short moment though. In addition to the lack of beard, he was wearing some of the new clothes Tony had ordered for him. Skinny jeans and slim-fit shirts definitely worked with his lithe frame. In less than a week he looked more modern than Steve had after several months in the current century.

Tony took a good look at Bucky. The shave had done a lot for him. So did the clothes. The bags that had darkened his eyes like bruises when he arrived had faded to a dull pink as well. He looked younger, softer. Almost unrecognizable from the man that had broken in the week before. 

“How do you feel about a haircut? I have a different type of electric razor, its a little bigger, cuts hair at different lengths. Works pretty much like the one you just used. It'll be quick and it'll help you blend into crowds. Make it harder for any Hydra agents to recognize you by sight.”

“That's a good idea.” Bucky's gaze moved from Tony's eyes to his hair and back again. “Would I be able to do it?”

“I don't know. We can try it. ...Or I could do it in front of the mirror so you can watch me?” Tony smiled lightly and made a comment he knew no sane person should make to someone who could actually kill them with their bare hands. “You can just break my wrist if I do something you don't like.”

Bucky blinked, staring at Tony blankly for a few seconds before a hint of a grin touched his lips. “Okay.”

Tony explained how the different attachments made the razor cut at different lengths. “I don't know if we can match your old look though.”

“I don't want to match it.” Bucky looked a little gloomy. “I'm don't want to be a ghost any more.”

Tony nodded and then grinned at the young man. “Good, that look was too old fashioned and non-slicked hair makes you look younger anyway. So will shorter hair. I tried helping Cap out when he was getting his modern makeover but its like he doesn't trust my taste or something.” He gestured over himself and then the entire room. “If there's one thing I lack, it isn't style.” 

That got another small grin out of Bucky. “Yeah, I noticed.” He swallowed and shook his head. “I don't want anything flashy though. The goal is not to be noticed, remember?”

Tony raised his brows and huffed out a laugh. “I hate to break it to you, sad eyes, but you'll get noticed either way. The point is to make sure you aren't recognized when you are.” He picked out one of the attachments. Tony didn't expect Bucky would put much time into his appearance and his hair clearly had some curl to it. He could pull off the college bed-head or peaky flyaway look easily enough. “Trust me?”

Bucky arched a brow. “I'm holding you to that wrist breaking promise, just so you know.”

Tony chuckled. “Want to grab a chair?” The look on Bucky's face said that metal or noisy instruments combined with chairs were a big no-no. Tony jumped in before the younger man could disappear into his memories. They’d had a few PTSD issues over the time they’d spent together, with only one incident Tony would consider serious. Bucky had gone catatonic for nearly an hour, afterwards he’d looked crushed, defeated. It had been terrifying and Tony never wanted to see that happen again. 

“Hey, its fine.” Tony allowed no room for doubt in his voice or expression. “We'll improvise. We're good at that, right?” 

Bucky nodded and blinked a few times before his eyes dilated normally again. 

Tony ended up standing on a foot stool so he could see over the top of Bucky's head. Bucky watched him in the mirror as promised. He looked frightened at first but soon seemed to relax enough that Tony wasn't worried they were adding too much to the kid's future therapy bills. Bucky stayed quiet, no instructions or demands given. The whole thing took very little time in the end. 

Tony whistled when the younger man turned his way after sweeping up all the cut hair. Bucky looked at him questioningly, clearly not understanding. “You clean up good, kid. You look a good ten years younger than when you came here. Just one thing though-” 

He opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed his emergency forgot-date-night-or-a-meeting texture paste. Moving slowly enough that Bucky could see what he was doing, Tony applied a small dab to his fingers and then worked it through Bucky's shortened locks. He aimed for artfully tousled. It worked with the soft curls.

“There. Now you look less like a fluffy-if-feral stray kitten and more like an over-stressed college student studying for finals while trying to pay off his student loans.” He tilted his head as he took in the young man’s eyes. “Or possibly a young veteran who signed up straight out of high school and saw too much, with the sad eyes and all. Whatever.” 

Tony waved off the possibly too sentimental moment and grinned at his handiwork. “That'll definitely help you blend in with the masses better than the sad-hobo look you had going before.” 

Bucky looked slightly amused at his commentary. “Thanks...I think.” His expression suddenly turned earnest again. Tony braced himself. “Really Tony, thanks. For everything.”

They stood there awkwardly for a moment. Tony was not good with genuine emotions thrown at him unexpectedly and Bucky wasn't used to expressing emotions freely quite yet. They had metaphorically painted themselves into a corner in Tony's workshop bathroom. Which he now thought of as Bucky's bathroom. 

“So... How about you thank me by helping me out with the new drone?” It was foolish, since Bucky would recognize that it was not a drone they working on quickly but it was the first thing to pop into Tony's head that didn't risk killing the fledgling bond they'd started. 

Bucky nodded with a hint of a smile. “I could do that.”

“Great.” Tony clapped his hands. “How about falafel and couscous for dinner?” 

“Sounds good.” Bucky suddenly frowned. “Wait, aren't you supposed to meet Pepper for dinner in like an hour?”

“Shit. Thanks. Rain check.” Tony turned and headed into the workshop to start cleaning up. Bucky followed once Tony stopped blocking the bathroom door. Tony inwardly rolled his eyes at himself before turning back to the young man. “You're gonna be good here on your own tonight?”

“Yeah.” Bucky looked slightly confused again. “Why would tonight be any different?”

Tony paused. Bucky had been there alone every night. Well, he had DUM-E and Jarvis, but Tony was aware that most wouldn't consider them company. Of course, Bucky wasn't most. 

“Jarvis, how much caffeine have I had today?”

 _'More than I would recommend, Sir.'_ Jarvis replied at the same time Bucky said “You’ve had six cups since you’ve been down here.”

Tony nodded. It didn’t surprise him that Bucky had noted how much coffee he’d had. He already noticed that the kid was observant, and he had a tendency to take care of the people around him, if every thing the Howling Commandos and Steve said where to be believed. Considering the way Bucky behaved around Tony, he believed them. 

The coffee explained the way his thoughts were bouncing around. He looked at Bucky, who was looking over the piece of his (unknown to him) new arm prototype that Tony had botched earlier.

“Hey, about that alone thing...” Tony paused while Bucky looked up at him. “Would it be alright if I told Pepper about you being here?” He held up a hand even though the younger man didn't look like he was going to argue, and continued. “She won't tell anyone else and you don't have to meet her if you aren't ready. I just don't like keeping big things from her and I think it would be better if someone else knew you were here. Just in case something were to happen while I was away.”

Bucky seemed to thinking very quickly. Finally he forced his distant gaze to focus on Tony. “I don't want to get you into any trouble. You've risked enough for my sake. Do what you think is best, just...try not to let her surprise me.”

Tony wasn't sure what to do with that. Not the last statement. _That_ he understood perfectly. He had nearly set a drone suit on Pepper during his worst post-New York days. It was the concern for him and heartfelt trust in him that was throwing him off. 

“I'd be in more trouble if I didn't tell her. Trust me. And she's the most respectful, wonderful, intelligent woman I've ever met. I'll explain the situation and she'll probably know what to do here better than I have.” 

Bucky shrugged his head to the side. “I think you've done good, but I'll take your word for it.” A ghost of a smirk touched his lips. “She has to be something special to keep up with you and run your company.”

Tony chuckled. “Don't I know it.”

He arranged for some falafel to be delivered anyway. He'd ordered from the place plenty of times and they were used to his eccentricities. Jarvis and DUM-E could handle it so Bucky never had to interact with anyone to risk being spotted. 

~*~*~*~

Pepper had been understandably upset when Tony informed her over dinner that he was housing an ex-brainwashed POW in their building. Then she had been understandably concerned once she got past the whole 'you should have told me sooner' part of her reaction. Once Tony (and Jarvis) assured her that Bucky's scans showed normal brain activity and they were certain he had broken free of the brainwashing, she switched gears entirely. 

Tony was forcibly reminded of why he loved this woman so much. 

“We need to keep him safe. Hydra and who knows who else are after him. I can’t believe he survived them as long as he did the first time -second time?- either way, we can’t let them get him again.” She looked at Tony very seriously. There was hint of fear in her gaze, but mostly determination and compassion. “He’s sure he wasn’t followed here, right? There’s no way that thing they attached to him had a tracker?” 

Tony moved to grab her hand, but placed it on the table in front of himself instead. She had complained about him being overprotective and possessive in the past and he still wasn’t clear on where those line were drawn. These days, he was really trying to respect her feelings. Except where it came to harboring a missing Hydra POW, but he was hoping Pepper would let that one slide. She had to have known there would be _something_ , after all. She’d known him long enough.

“Jarvis checked; his stuff’s clean and he’s certain he wasn’t followed. Considering he was following Steve when he came here, I’m inclined to think he was extra cautious. Besides, he’s really good at spotting them. We’ve already sent the new and improved SHIELD after a dozen bases we didn’t even know existed before he told me about them.”

“That’s good… Good.” She nodded, looking relieved, and placed a hand over his on the table. 

He shifted his fingers to intertwine them with hers without thought. He smiled as Pepper’s expression turned thoughtful. He knew she was absorbing the weight of what he’d just told her. He was interested to see what she came up with after thinking it all over. She always approached things from a different perspective than he did. 

“We need a failsafe.” She demanded suddenly, eyes clear and resolute. She still wove her fingers with his, even while deep in thought. It made Tony smile even more than her words did. “In case anyone does spot him. Maria and Rhodey got the Winter Soldier cleared of all charges already, right?”

Tony frowned lightly. Some senator or another had somehow found out about the Winter Soldier’s existence from a Hydra middle management agent trying to shave some time off his sentence. He thought he’d found a scapegoat for the whole Hydra fiasco, even if they didn’t know the Soldier’s actual identity. They’d only known he’d been a soldier captured by and experimented on by Hydra at some point. Public outcry against persecuting the world’s longest surviving POW had caused the military to step in to defend their own. 

Rhodey was one of the few who knew about Bucky and he’d managed to take control of the situation. Tony had told Maria to help him, since he didn’t trust the military to put the kid first. He’d paid for additional investigators and attorneys to join the case, once they were sure were truly impartial.

The Avengers had given them a copy of the Winter Soldier file Steve had, one that had been heavily redacted to ensure that no one could use the information to successfully duplicate Hydra’s experiments. Anything that was too personal or that might lead them to Bucky, including anything that would give away his identity, had also been removed. 

It had been an open and shut case, once the defense brought forth proof of capture and brainwashing. 

“Well I had a little something to do with that, but yeah, he’s clear.”

Pepper nodded. “That’s good. But-” She frowned. “Ooh, proving that he's Bucky Barnes would be nearly impossible to do quietly. Bringing him back from the dead will attract Hydra, since they know who he is.”

She nodded resolutely. “We need to get him a new identity. You know people who do that sort of thing, right, Tony?” 

Tony blinked. “Uh, yeah, but most of the IDs I could probably just do in-house. I can even set him up with a record of employment, housing… maybe a service record if I call in a favor.”

“Good, do it.” Pepper thought for a second. “We can set him up as a Stark employee. Maybe our new eccentric but brilliant IT guy that does all his work from your workshop? That would explain why no one has seen him.” She frowned lightly. “But why would he be in your workshop? You don’t let just anyone down there.” 

She thought for another moment She gave Tony’s hand a light squeeze. “Okay, we're going to have to tell people that he's your son. Your old reputation will help there, no one will think it impossible. There’s enough of an age gap, right? Going by appearances, I mean. Can you make a new birth certificate for him?”

Tony just stared at her for a short, stunned moment. Then, he smiled once more. “That’s brilliant. You start with the Stark Industries records. I'll start with the identification documents. Have I told you how much I adore you?”

“Nearly every day since the EXTREMIS fiasco.” She smiled and picked up her wine glass with her free hand. “But say it again anyway.”

He did. In every way he knew how. 

Then he got to work.

~*~*~*~

The next day, Tony dropped a manila folder onto Bucky's workstation. 

The younger man looked from it to Tony without touching it. “What's this?”

“Pepper's condition to housing you was that we adopt a failsafe. This is it. Actually, she was pretty worried about you once I explained everything.” 

Bucky wore a small, confused frown but he said nothing as he opened the file. Inside were employee records for Stark Industries and an assortment of fake identification. All telling the same story. 

“We set it up so no one will know about all this unless we need them to. Then it will look as if you've been here legitimately since before the whole SHIELD-Hydra fiasco and everyone just failed to notice because we were keeping it discreet for other reasons.” Tony hoped they hadn't just overstepped some line he didn't know about. 

“We made it look like you were hired quietly to help shortly before I went in to get my chest straightened out.” Tony explained. “Sort of a personal assistant slash engineer since I’d be out of commission for a bit and need someone both brilliant and trustworthy to fill in.”

' _Bucky Stark_?' Bucky mouthed the name and arched an eyebrow. 

“If anyone looks up your _actual_ records, they'll find the name James Buchanan, not Bucky. I figured you answer to Bucky, so no one will question it as your name and if anyone asks, you were named after Buck Rogers.” Tony frowned. “Do you know who that is? You know what, it doesn’t matter. Someone your age probably wouldn’t. 

“Your physical age, I mean. Note your new birth date.” Tony picked up a pen and pointed toward the paperwork with it. He fiddled with the pen for a moment. He couldn’t read Bucky’s reaction. 

“Oh, and your mother was a Romanian mathematician I hooked up with at a 'bring the Berlin Wall down' rally. She passed away during the New York incident a couple years ago and that's when I found out about you. We prefer to keep the connection quiet so the Stark name doesn't put too much pressure on you, seeing as how you're dealing with PTSD… And so anyone gunning for Iron Man or aiming to kidnap a billionaire’s kid doesn't target you.” 

Tony stopped and took a breath. Bucky was just watching him attentively. 

“Did I overload you? Do you hate it?” Tony frowned. “Just say something. Anything. React.”

The younger man shrugged. “I told you I don’t wanna get you into any trouble. If this keeps you safe should someone find me here, then good. Just give me a few minutes to memorize this and I might have a few questions for you. That okay?”

Tony just stared at the young man for a moment before laughing. “Damn, kid, you really know how to roll with a situation. I like that.” He clapped Bucky on the shoulder. The kid didn’t flinch. 

Tony’s smile broadened. “Yeah, take your time. Ask whatever you need. Mostly we need to make sure our stories line up should anyone come around asking questions. Of course, if someone points out that something doesn’t line up, we could always pass it off as me just getting mixed up since I wasn’t around for most of your life.”

Bucky nodded and continued reading the file. Tony moved to another workbench and started tinkering with the new arm prototype. 

“You gave me a service record?” Bucky asked without preamble after a couple of minutes. He was still reading the file when Tony looked over. 

“Yeah, figured we should stick to what you know. Army life is pretty much the same, just with better gear and I think you’re up to speed on all that, right?” Bucky nodded and Tony smiled. He was always happy to be right. “You were special ops, really cloak-and-dagger type of stuff, so it’ll make sense that no one knows you or is able to talk about you. Naturally, you can’t give away any details about what you did in the service.”

Tony didn’t mention that he also thought it would explain away the haunted edge that never seemed to leave his eyes. Bucky had seen enough soldiers fight their demons during the war that it probably went without saying. If it didn’t, Tony was fine leaving it unsaid anyway. 

“Good thinkin’.” Bucky looked up with a slightly concerned expression. “You don’t expect me to call you ‘dad’ though, right?”

“No, I don’t want anyone calling me ‘dad’, ever.” Tony shuddered briefly and then waved it off. “Tony’s fine. You didn’t know me growing up, so no one would expect you to call me anything else.”

“Then everything looks fine to me.” Bucky’s expression turned earnest and Tony braced himself for feelings. “Thank you, Tony. Really. You didn’t have to help me at all and to go to all this trouble- I’ll never be able to repay your kindness.”

“It wasn’t much trouble.” Tony muttered as he turned back to his work. He cleared his throat, which suddenly felt a little tight. “You must get that sentimental thing from your mother.”

There was a moment of silence and then Tony heard Bucky release a quick and quiet laugh. It was more a release of breath than actual laughter, but it was the closest the young man had gotten since he’d arrived. 

Tony smiled. 

The actual introduction between Pepper and Bucky came the following day. 

Bucky had shined his boots and wore his nicest shirt; one that Tony had bought for him. It had long sleeves and he also wore gloves to keep his bionic arm covered. He gave a respectful nod that was almost a small bow and called Pepper ‘Ma’am’ when Tony introduced them.

Tony thought it was adorable. Pepper’s smile suggested she thought the same. 

“There’s no need to be so formal.” Pepper’s smile didn’t dim in the least. “You can call me Pepper. I’m so happy to meet you. Is it alright if I call you Bucky?”

Bucky nodded softly. “I actually prefer it.”

Pepper noticed the gloves and frowned lightly. “Are you cold? Did Tony get you a sweater or anything? I can-”

“He’s covering the arm, Pep.” Tony cut in with a grin. It was amusing, watching Pepper’s mother hen routine when it was directed at someone else. He arched a brow at Bucky. “What are you covering it for anyway?”

Bucky looked marginally uncomfortable and Tony briefly worried that he’d been insensitive again before the younger man shrugged. “I wasn’t sure if it would look dist- frightening, to someone meeting me for the first time.”

Pepper cleared away the tension with a laugh and a small gesture. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about me, Bucky. With all the robots and suits this guy brings home, I am completely comfortable with that type of technology around me.” She smiled warmly. “Besides, you seem sweet.”

She looked between Bucky and Tony for a brief moment. Then she nodded. “I think some time together will be good for both of you.”

Tony rolled his eyes but he was smiling. “We’re not actually adopting him, you know.”

“Aren’t we?” Pepper was teasing, guileless and admonishing all at once. It was a reminder that Tony couldn’t be heard saying that sort of thing in front of anyone and a promise that she was going to rib him about his new ‘son’ for all it was worth. She was enjoying the situation altogether too much. 

Tony loved her all the more for it. 

Bucky looked anxious but slightly amused as well. He took off his gloves and flexed his metal fingers nervously. He watched Pepper out of the corner of his eye and relaxed notably when she didn’t react to the strange appendage at all.

They had lunch together in Tony’s makeshift workshop lounge. Pepper had dined with him there plenty of times before that she was perfectly at home and Bucky fit right into the space. He asked her a few questions about Stark Industries and was clearly fascinated by the answers. Tony could tell she was charmed by his slightly old-fashioned manners and vocabulary. 

Eventually, Bucky told them about the Stark Exhibit he’d seen before shipping off to war. He looked around the room with interest. “I have to say, the future’s as spiffy as I imagined it would be.” Bucky hesitated. “Well...” Pepper looked at him with encouragement and Tony motioned for him to go on. “To be honest, I’m a little disappointed at the lack of flying cars.”

Tony laughed harder than he had in a long time. Pepper slipped her hand comfortably into his when he absentmindedly reached for it. 

“Everyone is a little disappointed in that, Bucky.” Pepper replied, smiling. She gave Tony’s hand a squeeze. “I blame _Back to the Future_.”

Tony caught the lack of recognition in Bucky expression and groaned. “ _No_... You haven’t seen any of them?” The look on Bucky’s face as he shook his head told Tony that he hadn’t even been aware they existed. “We’re going to have a movie marathon the next time we’re working on something time consuming but menial.”

Something changed after that afternoon. Bucky helped Tony on some of his other Avengers projects, mostly armor for the members who weren’t wearing mechanized suits or a demi-god, which was usual but there was something different. He was less hesitant to step in and help or offer a suggestion. It was as if he was supposed to be there, working with Tony, which Tony agreed with but he hadn’t seen it from Bucky before. The young man also started doing some work for Stark Industries that Pepper sent him over the next few days. He seemed to be taking on the role they had created for him, only there wasn’t anything disingenuous about it. 

Tony didn’t wast any time checking to make sure Bucky wasn’t adopting a persona or doing anything he felt he had to due to the decades of brainwashing he’d suffered. He asked about it as soon as the concern occurred to him. It had been so long since Bucky had any freedom of movement or the ability to choose for himself, Tony didn’t want to take that away from him. 

“You know you don’t have to act the part unless someone else comes around, right?” Tony only paused a moment before adding, “And you don’t have to pay me back by working for Stark Industries or the Avengers. Just, whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Bucky looked a little confused, and that worried Tony. He was about to launch into a tirade about how he wasn’t like Hydra and Bucky wasn’t a tool or a prisoner, when the young man finally spoke up. In all fairness, Tony realized it had probably only been about fifteen seconds since he stopped speaking, but he was nervous. It made the time pass slowly.

“Tony, I-” Bucky blinked. He still wasn’t that confident with verbal communication and there was always so much stress and sadness present in his expression that reading his current emotion at any given time was a challenge. It took a good deal of effort for Tony to wait for his new friend to find the right words, but he got there. 

“I won’t say that I know who I am, because that’s still a gray area right now, but I know what’s real and what isn’t.” Bucky looked like he was just hoping that his words made sense outside of his own head. 

He met Tony’s gaze earnestly. “I like working with you; its interesting work, it keeps me from getting lost in everything else and I like hanging around you. I like making things for the Avengers; its the most help I can offer you and Steve right now. I like helping Pepper with your company; she’s nice and you’re doing a lot of good.”

Bucky hesitated and looked at Tony as though making sure he weren’t confusing or upsetting him. Once Tony motioned that it was fine, he continued. “That’s real. The cover you set up for me is a precaution, and I’m grateful for it, but its not real. What Hydra did, what they made me- That- It-” 

Bucky frowned. His eyes watered and he turned his face away slightly. His eyes looked a little distant and wary, and then, determined. He was clearly distressed but working toward something. 

Tony tried to look encouraging without pushing too much. He knew what it was like to wrestle with inner demons. Sometimes people on the outside needed to just let you have at it. He suspected this was one of those times for Bucky. He didn’t realize how hard it would be to watch him struggle. 

“No, it was real. But it wasn’t...” Bucky closed his eyes tightly for a moment and swallowed thickly. His hands curled up so tightly that Tony worried the nails on his flesh hand would cut into his skin. “It wasn’t _me_.”

It was the first time Tony had heard Bucky acknowledge his own innocence in regards to the things Hydra made him do. Tony was pretty sure it was the first time the young man had ever done so. The way he was breathing, like he’d just fought a powerful enemy, and the startled expression on his face suggested so. 

Tony was filled with a joy he’d rarely experienced. He felt it last after the shrapnel and arc reactor had been removed from his chest. When he woke after the surgery and looked at Pepper, who’d been healthy and whole for months, and saw her smile in a way that meant home to him. It was a light, encompassing warmth. It was the feeling that everything might actually be okay or even better than okay. 

He also felt a strange sort of pride, as if Bucky’s accomplishment was his own. It was similar to the pride he felt when he heard stories of kids pretending to be Iron Man and protecting their friends. Like the pride he felt when he saw the lights come on in the new tower for the first time. It was almost like the pride he felt when he saw news footage of Rhodey, in his War Machine suit, stop a terrorist cell and save thousands of lives in a country most people couldn’t point out on a map. He realized it was the pride of knowing that he’d helped make something -or someone- great.

Tony hoped his smile showed even half of what he was feeling. He thought it might, if the hopeful and relived glint on Bucky’s otherwise tired and shocked face was anything to go by. 

Without thinking, Tony grabbed Bucky’s flesh shoulder and pulled him into a hug. It was brief, gentle. Tony wasn’t a big hugger himself. It was actually the first time he’d initiated any lasting physical contact with Bucky. He could feel the younger man tense a little at first and then he briefly returned the embrace before they both stepped away. 

“You’re right, kid.” Tony made sure he held Bucky’s gaze, worried the younger man might retreat after conquering that milestone and determined to get his point across before that happened. “That wasn't you.” 

He gestured around them vaguely. “ _This_ is. This guy who helps people, who takes care of his friends and tries to do good, even when he just wants to hide himself away somewhere. Not without reason, of course, but you’re still here.”

Bucky looked shaken, but he met Tony’s eyes. It looked like he had to force himself to, which Tony understood, but he sounded sincere when he spoke. “So are you.”

A dismissive, cocky comment was on the tip of Tony’s tongue, but the look on Bucky’s face stopped him from voicing it. The usual earnestness and compassion were there but it also held a confidence Tony hadn’t seen in the younger man before. Bucky was absolutely certain of what he was saying and Tony found that he couldn’t argue. Instead he looked around the room quickly. 

He saw the arrows he and Bucky had designed for Clint and the new armor they were working on for the archer. They had started drafting designs to use the same material to make an improved suit for Steve as well. They’d also started designing some upgrades for Rhodey’s War Machine suit. Tony had started designing guns again, not for the defense market, but for Romanoff and, though he hadn’t told anyone yet, Bucky as well. Then, of course, there was the arm he was secretly designing for his new friend. 

No one was paying Tony for any of this. No one had asked him to do it. Some of the other Avengers might not even appreciate that he’d taken the liberty of designing new equipment for them. But if they accepted it, they’d be safer when they were out there, fighting whatever new or old threat had come along that required the Avengers to assemble. 

Tony was just trying to keep the people he cared about safe. The same as Bucky. If that made the kid one of the good guys, despite his complicated past -and Tony would fight anyone who tried to claim otherwise- then Tony was too. It was as simple as that. 

He looked at Bucky again. The young man still looked slightly overwhelmed from his own recent epiphany, but he offered a small yet bright smile when he recognized Tony had made his own. 

Tony returned the smile and nodded. For once, he was speechless. He was also happy.

The next evening, despite the fact that he had acknowledged how quickly his ribs were healing, Bucky made no mention of leaving any time soon and Tony was still happy.


End file.
